


Tower of Escape, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Original Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-09-25
Updated: 2000-09-25
Packaged: 2019-05-15 02:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14782199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Lydia and Roni have become good friends . . . the best of friends.  But what about Zoey?





	1. Tower of Escape, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

The Tower of Escape

by AJ

Notes: This is a sequel to How She Carried On. Thanks to M-C for getting my wheels to turn, and to Dallas for keeping them turning.

Disclaimer: Just a girl having some fun.

Summary: Lydia and Roni have become good friends... the best of friends. But what about Zoey?

It's been a good three months since Lydia testified in a court of law against her uncle. Three months since he was sent to prison, for a mere ten years. Ten years for his crime. Ten years for statutory rape. Ten years for ruining Lydia's life.

In those three months, Lydia has put up a struggle to move on with her life. Jed and Abbey offered to adopt her, but she turned them down. She didn't want parents. Parents don't love their children. Lydia wanted to be loved. She needed to be loved. She needed to be shown how to love, so that in four months, when her baby is to be born, she can love him or her.

Reaching out across the breakfast table, Lydia and Zoey both grabbed the pitcher of orange juice.

"Zoey..." Jed said in an attempt to get Zoey's hand to let go of the pitcher... it worked.

Reluctantly, Lydia picked the pitcher up, and poured the last of the contents into her cup. As she did so, she glanced up at the fuming Zoey.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. Lydia always apologized... for everything... even when it wasn't her fault. "Here, you can have it if you want. I don't need it."

When Zoey reached out to take Lydia's glass, Abbey called out, "Zoey . . ."

Immediately, Zoey snatched her hand back in, by her side and pouted. "Why is it that everyone is always on her side?" Zoey asked. "Ever since she has come around... everyone ignores me. Roni can't seem to spend enough time with her... they're always off writing poems, or listening to music, or something. You and Dad are always giving her stuff. Always there for her. What about me?!" Zoey got up and ran out of the dining room, leaving a table of four stunned faces.

Turning her gaze from her plate, to Lydia, Roni placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't." She said, knowing exactly that Lydia was wanting to run away.

Lydia's eyes turned to Roni, "Why? It's all my fault. It's always my fault." Lydia said as she too, got up and ran.

"Dang it!" Roni muttered as she pushed herself away from the table and struggled to keep up with Lydia, leaving Jed and Abbey still seated at the table, both staring at Zoey's empty chair.

  

  


	2. Tower of Escape, The 2

The Tower of Escape

by AJ

"Jed?"

"Yeah?"

"What just happened here?" Abbey asked as her eyes were still focused on Zoey's empty chair.

"I don't know," was Jed's reply.

"Me neither." Abbey softly said.

"Come on." Jed said as he stood up and pulled Abbey with him. "Let's go track her down."

"What are we going to say to her when we find her?" ~~~ "Zoey?" Jed said, as he pushed a bedroom door open.

"What?" She cried into her pillow.

"Can we come in? I think we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk. I've said all I want to say to the two of you." Zoey snapped.

"We're sorry, sweetie. We never meant for it to seem as if we-" Abbey started as she sat down on Zoey's bed.

"Seem?! It doesn't seem like anything! It is!"

"Don't raise your voice to us. We are your parents." Jed snapped.

"Oh, please, you have two other daughters who need your attention. You don't need me anymore! You have Roni and Lydia!"

"Zoey!" Abbey let out an exasperated sigh.

"WHAT?!?!?!"

"Lower your voice young lady!" Jed raised his voice.

"Screw you, the almighty Josiah Bartlet! You can go straight to hell!" Zoey stood from the bed and ran out of the room as quickly as she could.

Jed stood up in a furry and was going to chase after her, but Abbey stopped him. "You have to let her go, Jed."

"Like hell I do." He shouted as he made his way for the door.

Zoey ran down the hall, tears streaming down her face, until she ran into Leo.

"Zoey, what's wrong?" Leo asked.

"They don't love me... They love her... Both of them... I don't matter!"

"Zoey, what are you talking about?" Leo tried to make sense of the incoherent mumble jumble coming out of Zoey.

"They care about Lydia and Roni more then they've ever cared about me! I don't matter to them! They don't care!"

"Zoey, that's not true. They love you, and you know it." Leo reasoned with Zoey as he saw his best friend storming up behind Zoey.

"Daddy doesn't care! Mom doesn't care!! They hate me!" With that, she pulled away from Leo and continued her journey down the hall.

Jed stopped just short of Leo, and looked him in the eye, before he continued on his destructive path for his daughter. Leo didn't know what was going on, he just sighed and made his way to the residence to talk to Abbey.

  


	3. Tower of Escape, The 3

The Tower of Escape

by AJ

"Lydia, slow down for at least one second, would you?" Roni called out to the girl in front of her.

"I need to get out of here," Lydia responded as she turned around, but kept walking just as fast as she had been.

"Lydia! Stop right now!" Roni said, raising her voice. "You're not going anywhere."

"You don't understand, Roni. I need to go. I need out of here. I need to go to my place. You can come with me if you want, but you can't stop me."

"Lydia, running isn't the answer. I know, I've tried before."

"I'm not running." Lydia snapped.

"Like hell! Come on, let's go to my room and talk."

"No! I need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere to clear my head. Like I said, you can come, but you can't stop me."

~~~

"Zoey! We need to talk!" Jed shouted as he managed to grab a hold of Zoey's shoulder.

"Let go of me!!! Just let me go!! You don't care about me!! Just let me go!!" Zoey was sobbing hysterically now.

"Zoey, stop this tantrum right now. This isn't like you." Jed hissed.

"No, I won't stop!! No, I won't!! It's not a tantrum!!! It's the truth!! It's the truth!! God, just let me go!! Please, you don't love me, Dad... You don't love me!" Her voice trickled to a whisper as sobs overtook her body and she slowly sank to the floor.

Immediately, Jed put his anger aside, knelt down to the ground, and took his daughter into an embrace. "I do love you, so does your mother."

She leaned into him. "Then act like it, Daddy. Please, I need you too."

"I'm sorry... I didn't realize... I'm sorry."

"I need you, Daddy... Charlie and I... We're fighting... And I need you!"

"I'm here for you, baby. I'm here. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what's bothering you, so I can fix it."

  


	4. Tower of Escape, The 4

The Tower of Escape

by AJ

"Abbey, what's going on with Zoey? She's..." Leo trailed off as he looked up and found Abbey crying. Leo moved to her and drew her into a gentle embrace. "Abbey, what's wrong?"

"Everything." She muttered.

"What do you mean? Talk to me, Abbs."

"Zoey... Lydia... Why can't they get along?"

"Abbey, have you thought about how bringing Lydia into the house affects Zoey? Have you considered it at all?"

"I thought... she never... but... her and Roni..."

"She had a hard time with Roni, too, Abbey."

"Yeah, but it worked out for the best, Leo. Why isn't that happening again?"

"Because, Lydia's not her sister."

"Why does that have to matter? Zoey didn't know Roni at all, they got to be good friends... and Lydia... she needs our help..."

"Abbey, open your eyes!!" Leo was quickly loosing patience. "Get a clue! Zoey just knows that she's loosing her mom!"

"She's not loosing me, Leo." Abbey defended herself.

"Says you."

"What are you saying, Leo?" Abbey asked.

"I'm saying that you need to stop worrying about Lydia as much and pay attention to the fact that your daughter is in pain!"

"You really think she's in pain?" Abbey said as her tears returned to her face.

"Abbey, she was crying hysterically, telling me that you didn't love her."

"Oh no." Abbey muttered as she collapsed into Leo's arms. "Oh no." Leo held her tightly, wishing he could fix all this mess.


	5. Tower of Escape, The 5

The Tower of Escape

by AJ

"Where are we?" Roni asked as they got out of the suburban.

"My special place." Lydia replied as she looked at the old abandoned Cathedral. "Come on, up here." She said, rushing towards the building. "Wait!" Lydia stopped in her tracks, to come face to face with Roni, in her wheelchair.

"What?" Roni asked.

"I was going to take you up there." Lydia pointed to the top of the bell tower. "But..."

"But what?"

"How? I mean, you can't climb."

"So?" Roni smiled as she began to push herself again.

When the two girls reached the inside of the church, and were at the very bottom of the stairs, Lydia paused, and looked at Roni. Roni didn't say a thing, she just transported herself from her chair, to one of the steps, and pulled her self up the stairs. For some of the way, she struggled, and it took her a long time to reach the top, but eventually, she made it.

Seconds after Roni reached the top, Lydia did as well. She elected not to say anything, although she was in complete awe of the demonstration of strength and determination she had just witnessed.

"How long have you been coming here?" Roni asked as Lydia crawled into a corner like a little kitten.

"For years. This is where I've always come... whenever they would kick me out... or something bad would happen and I just needed to think, this is where I would come."

"So why'd we come here this time?" Roni asked as she moved herself around, so she could look at Lydia.

"Cause I needed to get out of there, Roni."

"Why?"

"Cause it's all my fault." Lydia cried. "It's always my fault. Mom and Dad hurting me... that was my fault. Uncle Frank raping me... that was my fault."

Struggling to pull herself over to Lydia, Roni said, "It isn't your fault. None of that is your fault. That's life. It's a hard lesson to learn, Lydia, but it isn't your fault."

Finally, just as Roni reached Lydia, she broke down into a million tears. Roni's arms immediately grabbed Lydia into a deep embrace.

  


	6. Tower of Escape, The 6

The Tower of Escape

by AJ

"Zoey?" Abbey quietly said as she walked into her daughter's bedroom. "Zoey, can we talk?"

"I don't want to talk," Came Zoey.

"Listen, I'm sorry, and I love you."

"What are you sorry about?" Zoey asked as she turned herself on to her stomach, on her bed.

Crossing the room, and sitting on the bed, Abbey placed a hand on Zoey's back. "I'm sorry that I never talked to you about Lydia, before I brought her here. I'm sorry that it seems as if I don't care about you... I love you, Zoey. You're my daughter, and I love you."

"So you've said," Zoey retorted. "But you haven't shown me that you love me. You've shown Lydia, and Roni, but not me. And that might sound selfi-"

"No, it doesn't. Not at all. I'm sorry. I can't apologize enough, sweetie. But I tell you what, tomorrow, you better clear your calendar... because the two of us are going to spend the whole day together."

"Mom, I'm not a little kid. You can't just take me out shopping and buy me ice cream. It's not that easy."

"Then tell me what, Zoey. Tell me what you'd like to do. Tomorrow is yours. Just you and me."

"I don't know what I want Mom. But what I need is you. You and Dad."

"You have us. You've always had us, Zoey. We are your parents, we love you."

"I love you too, Mom." Zoey cried as she flung herself into her mother's arms.

~~~

After having sat up in the bell tower, in complete silence for a good hour or so, Lydia made the decision that she was ready to go back down, and return to the White House. Once there, she planned on confronting Zoey. Maybe befriending her, at last.

As life always goes, plans are meant to be broken, and usually are. A little more than halfway down the long curvy stairwell, Lydia somehow tripped, and went tumbling down to the ground.

Roni, was frozen in shock, at first, but eventually found enough strength to drag herself down the stairs the rest of the way, stopping just short of Lydia and all of the secret service agents that had swarmed around her body.

About two or three minutes later, and Ambulance showed up to take Lydia's body to the hospital, but those few minutes seemed like decades to Roni, who sat with in her arms.

When they reached the hospital, Lydia was rushed into the ER immediately, and operated on. The doctors successfully removed her baby boy, and put him in intensive care. Now, on to save her life, or try.

"Her pulse is dropping!" One doctor shouted.

"Her heart rate is slowing, damnit!" Another shouted.

Then, "Beeeeeeeeeeeeep." She went flat line.

THE END


End file.
